A stately home which was previously used for The Great British Bake Off could be yours – for almost £7 million. The Georgian property, Harptree Court in Somerset was used for the then BBC baking programme in 2013 and 2013 but has now been put on the market for a wealthy person to purchase.
The huge property features a mere 12 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and 51 acres of sprawling gardens surrounding it. But that’s not all, for the huge asking price, the lucky owner will also have a Victorian stable yard and a tree house.
Harptree Court was built for Joshua Scrope in 1797 and designed by Charles Harcourt Masters, an English surveyor and architect in Bath. The huge gardens and lawn of the Grade II listed house were also designed around a similar time. Now, Knight Franks have listed the stunning property and the owners are asking for £6,750,000.
The property also comes with a very unique feature which could be handy during the summer months – an outdoor copper bath.
During seasons three and four of Bake Off, the famous white tent was erected in the gardens of the stately home before the programme was bought by Channel 4 in 2017. Since 2013, the show has been filmed at another stately home, Grade I listed Welford Park, Berkshire, which has been the Puxley family home for over 400 years.
But in 2020 and 2021, the show was moved to Down Hall in Essex due to the coronavirus pandemic with the competitors placed into a bubble for six weeks in order to film the show and prevent them from breaching any isolation regulations implemented by Boris Johnson’s government.
Welford Park is built on the site of a monastic grange which had belonged to Abingdon Abbey during the Anglo-Saxon era. Following the dissolution of monasteries, notorious King Henry VIII used the property as a hunting lodge. It was later given to Sir Thomas Parry as his main residence by Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I.
However, the family moved to Hamstead Marshall following Parry’s death. Welford was later used as a dower house for the son’s mother who is buried in the adjoining church. This year, celebs are being put through their baking paces on the Stand Up To Cancer celebrity spin-off of the show.
During the most recent episode, fans were left disgusted by a “nightmare” dish which was dubbed to the the “most repulsive” creation in the history of the show. Celebs were tasked with three challenges: whipping up delicious crumpets for the signature round, mastering their piping skills in the technical challenge, and crafting a pie showstopper inspired by their celebrity hero.
This week’s line-up featured actress and writer Meera Syal, comedian and Derry Girls actor Tommy Tiernan, comedian Adam Buxton, and musician and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known as Self Esteem. For the showstopper round, the quartet unveiled their celebrity heroes. Tommy opted for folk music icon Bob Dylan, whom he immortalised in pecan pie form.
Adam, on the other hand, showcased a cherry pie tribute to Ridley Scott, while Meera crafted a vibrant pie in the likeness of artist Frida Kahlo. Rebecca paid sweet homage to the late George Michael with her sugary creation. However, it was Adam’s pie that stole the spotlight on X, formerly Twitter, due to its deliberately gruesome design.
The comedian chose to honour Alien director Ridley Scott by replicating the film’s infamous scene where an alien bursts from a person’s stomach. His unique take involved a pie featuring a banana carved to resemble an alien protruding from the centre.
The judges couldn’t help but burst into laughter when the ‘alien’ pie flopped during its presentation. Despite the collapse, they recognised Adam’s ‘effort’ and commended the taste of his pie. On X, viewers shared their candid reactions with one fan declaring: “Adam’s alien creation is probably the most repulsive and disgusting creation I’ve seen on #GBBO for some time.” (sic)
Another was equally unnerved, commenting: “That image is nightmare fuel.” While a third posted: “Paul and Caroline tasting alien pie [sick emoji] they sure do earn their wages on that show!” (sic)
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